Republican 2008 presidential hopeful John McCain crooned the words "Bomb Iran" to a Beach Boys' tune in joking response to a question about any possible U.S. attack over Tehran's suspected nuclear weapons program. "That old Beach Boys song, Bomb Iran ... bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb," the Vietnam War veteran warbled softly to the band's "Barbara Ann" when he was asked when the United States would send an "airmail message" to Iran. The singing performance during a campaign stop on Wednesday in South Carolina drew chuckles from the audience and has already been viewed almost 11,000 times on the Internet video sharing site YouTube after being posted on Thursday. Campaign spokesman Matt David said the question was asked somewhat in jest and that the Arizona senator was adding some levity to the discussion. The United States and others have accused Tehran of seeking nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies. While U.S. officials have refused to take the military option off the table, they... http://news.yahoo.com

As World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz clings to his job, two key players in the scandal over his girlfriend’s compensation package — which has since made her the highest paid member of the U.S. State Department — have further distanced themselves from the actions that led to the furor. When the scandal first broke in early April, top aides to Wolfowitz told reporters that the compensation terms of his girlfriend, longtime bank staffer Shaha Riza, were negotiated and approved, respectively, by Roberto Danino, the bank’s then-general counsel, and by Ad Melkert, the former chairman of the board’s ethics committee in mid-2005. Both former officials issued short denials at the time. But they declined to elaborate until yesterday, when they insisted to FOX News that their roles in the matter were marginal — with one official claiming that Wolfowitz cut him out of the final discussions entirely. ...http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,267120,00.html

Doris Moore was shocked when her new couch was delivered to her home with a label that used a racial slur to describe the dark brown shade of the upholstery. The situation was even more alarming for Moore because it was her 7-year-old daughter who pointed out "n——- brown" on the tag. "My daughter saw the label and she knew the color brown, but didn't know what the other word meant. She asked, 'Mommy, what color is that?' I was stunned. I didn't know what to say. I never thought that's how she'd learn of that word," Moore said. The mother complained to the furniture store, which blamed the supplier, who pointed to a computer problem as the source of the derogatory label. Kingsoft Corp., a Chinese software company, acknowledged its translation program was at fault and said it was a regrettable error. The software is the culprit, it’s not trained to be Politically Correct. ...http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=3057638

Anti-Castro Cuban militant Luis Posada Carriles has been released from federal custody and is en route to his wife's house in Miami, his lawyer said Thursday. Posada was released from a New Mexico jail after posting bond, his lawyer, Felipe D.J. Millan, said. Millan said immigration authorities were not detaining him, though there is an outstanding order of deportation. An Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman in El Paso did not immediately return a call seeking comment. Posada, a 79-year-old former CIA operative, is awaiting a May 11 trial on immigration fraud charges. He is wanted in Cuba and Venezuela, where he is accused of plotting the 1976 bombing of a Cuban jetliner that killed 73 people. A judge ruled that he could not be deported to those countries because he might be tortured. No other country has agreed to take him. We can’t let our Terrorist be tortured, that’s only for other terrorists...http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/19/world/main2704857.shtml?source=RSSattr=World_2704857

An insurgent coalition announced a “Cabinet” for its Islamic state in Iraq in a Web video posted on Thursday, naming the head of al-Qaida in Iraq as “minister of war.” The video was issued by the Islamic State of Iraq, an umbrella group of insurgent groups including al-Qaida. A man identified as a spokesman for the group appeared, with his face obscured, speaking from behind a desk with a flat-screen computer. “It is the duty at our present stage to form this Cabinet, the first Islamic Cabinet, which has faith in God,” said the spokesman, wearing robes and a red kafiyyah headdress. ...http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18202494/

Defense Secretary Robert Gates slipped into Iraq Thursday to warn Iraqi leaders that the U.S. commitment to a military buildup there is not open-ended.Gates said the political tumult in Washington over financing the military presence in Iraq shows that both the American public and the Bush administration are running out of patience with the war."I'm sympathetic with some of the challenges that they face," Gates said of the Iraqis during his surprise visit. But, he said, "the clock is ticking."Gates added, "Frankly I would like to see faster progress."He said that the Iraqis need to push through legislation on political reconciliation and sharing oil revenues. "It's not that these laws are going to change the situation immediately, but I think ... the ability to get them done communicates a willingness to work together."...http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2007-04-19-gates-iraq_N.htm?csp=34